Dozens of Goldsboro city employees volunteer for trash cleanup

Goldsboro Police Capt. Dwayne Dean, left, and City Manager Scott Stevens fills bags with trash found on the side of Stoney Creek Parkway.

Goldsboro city employees walked the roads this morning picking up trash along some of the city's most-littered routes.

About 60 employees spread out around Goldsboro this morning to spend a couple hours working 20 stretches of roadway identified as areas most in need of debris pick-up.

The morning began with a "snake and traffic" briefing before the employees headed out to their posts with orange traffic bags and reflective high-visibility vests.

Mostly Styrofoam cups and beer bottles littered the stretch of Stoney Creek Parkway that one of the city groups was cleaning, but volunteers also found wine jugs and an unfired 7.62x39 rifle round.

"When you are driving by you see a little bit of trash, but you don't realize how much there is until you start walking it," City Manager Scott Stevens said. "Just looking at spring coming and mowing season starting up, it looked like a good time to do something. It was really the idea of Jose (Martinez, Goldsboro Public Works director.) We figured instead of having Public Works handle all of this we could open it up to the whole city."

It is unclear if city employees will head out again, but there is no question that spots that need attention will still be available.

"The need will still be there and I don't know if we will do another one in 30, 60 or 90 days or when, but there unfortunately will still be a need," Stevens said.

Martinez said he came up with the idea when Stevens mentioned a large amount of debris along U.S. 70 in between Berkeley Boulevard and Spence Avenue.

"I figured it could be a morale booster for the city," Martinez said. "So Scott (Stevens) opened it up to the other departments for anyone that wanted to participate."

Many of the workers picking up trash usually work inside, such as Goldsboro Public Information Officer Kim Best.

Spending the morning out on the highway picking up trash was a change of pace.

"It's not really fair for me to ask other people to do something I'm not willing to do myself so I'm out here," she said.

For Mrs. Best, a struggle to pick up a cup from behind a patch of briars was very different from the usual battles she faces in the City Manager's Office, but it was still a challenge.

"Don't let it beat you Kim," Stevens said.

Kelly Best, an inspector with the city Inspections Department, said she took advantage of a chance to get out into the sunshine, even if it was a little chilly.

"It's time I'm not in the office right now," she said.

Compared to what she usually sees inspecting the city's worst houses, a few soda cans and beer bottles weren't that hard to handle, she added.

Capt. Dwayne Dean with the Goldsboro Police Department, who also offered up some of his time to make the city more beautiful, summed up the feelings of those who gathered to clean up the litter.